#and I just think a lot of people confuse good equipment with skill

[throwing-roses-into-the-abyss]

.

[energysynergymatrix]

Ok I bit the bullet and made an Ososan OC and his full name is Len Kanemaru.

He's the so-called perfect guy, pretty boy barista type turned up to 11, who might as well have manifested from thin air, who has genuine fanboys and fangirls, and most of the Matsunos want him fucking dead. He's oblivious to both of these aspects of the public opinion and seems kind of empty headed for the most part. He is also struggling just as badly as them but literally no one would believe him if he told them.

He also wants to kiss the oldest DESPITE the fact that his brothers are so jealous of him for being so perfect. Shenanigans ensue.

If you want a more detailed write up about him read the cut.

OK SO . Len is a guy trying his best to pretend to be an adult despite wanting to be anything but it. Unlike the Matsunos who dont pretend to be an adult and are anything but it, Len is trying to push through adult life while wanting to return to childhood when things were easier.

Sure he has a job as barista, but he's poor with money, spending it like he's still a teenager, struggles to maintain contact with people he’s befriended outside of work, DESPITE thinking people hating him is the end of the world, and surprisingly, still lives with his parents.

The thing is that he's REALLY good at pretending to have it all together. He has quite a few fanboys and fangirls and is often described as a prince. (It’s because of his charmingly good customer service skills that is his only real social experience post highschool.) But, despite being in his mid twenties, hes kind of poorly equipped socially and is unable to pick this up, despite it being clear to literally everyone.

(Like he thinks he’s being bad at pretending to be a well put together adult, and then turns around and can handle rush pretty well understaffed, not make any mistakes, and still keep a pleasant demeanor that his admirers swoon over. Anytime someone does act like a fan trying to get his love it’s met with confusion and just. “Huh.” more than anything. He doesn’t even reject them because he doesn’t realize so many people are in love with him)

This includes quite a few Matsunos who are jealous of him for being so popular (and admittedly kind of cool), find his princely yet oblivious attitude almost annoying, and somewhat creepy because of how much he knows about them from highschool. And those who aren't irritated by him are relatively apathetic towards him.

The only reason theyre so aware of him is the fact that he and Todomatsu worked at the same cafe before the latter quit. It was after he quit that Len properly met the sextuplets, having a chance encounter with the boys sometime after. Todomatsu was already irritated by him, by again, seeing above, but also because he already seemed intimately familiar with Totty during his highschool years.

It's like they had a whole classmate just manifest into being while skipping the "actually go to class together" part.

(They did actually go to school together but literally no one knew he existed during then. Not to their fault though, Len was basically that one vine that's like "I can't I have so much to do tomorrow" *fucks around on the keyboard. Because of that Len ended up being bad with people by the time he graduated and was ushered into the work force by his parents. As a result he can't really keep friends, often times contact dying off on accident. A lot of the time spent working is him TRYING his best to maintain relationships as an adult but it never really works out. Deep down Len wishes he could redo highschool, so he could not only get this skills but also find some memories that he so clearly missed out on. Because he willingly opted out of making those therefore other people don’t remember him. As far as he knows he hasn’t really had a friend since middle school.)

But like after the two and Totty's brothers encountered each other in public a whole bomb got dropped and nothing was the same.

Despite generally not liking him the Matsunos keep him around, mostly due to Totty's insistence saying they can use him (so they cant kill him yet!) but because Len is kind of bad with people in general outside of having a fandom (that, again, came with his customer service skills), and the Matsunos are the Matsunos, this never ever goes well.

Despite this and how much shenanigans the Matsunos end up dragging him into, he considers them friends since its the closest relationship he's maintained outside of his house. On top of that, he almost admires them for being NEETs. He's kind of ashamed of it, because he knows they have to be an adult, but because he's struggling so much as an adult, he wants nothing more than to be like them. He wants to stop being an adult and return to highschool.

It's why he takes to Osomatsu so much, since he seems most open about how shitty he is and how much he doesnt want to grow up. Like weirdly enough, his man-child behavior is what makes Len likes him so much. Sure he also has a big heart and loves his family, and Len can acknowledge Oso’s best aspects, but it’s the worst parts of him that loves.

And that admiration for having his character laid out flat and embracing his childishness despite his age and situation, how he practically will just grow up when he wants to rather than when he has to (unlike Len), makes the perfect man fall for the loser guy.

The more he hangs around the Matsunos the more they encourage him to tap into his evil side, and may end up making him worse, but for now he's Mr Perfect and most of them hate him for that. He doesn't get the message though so he's just kind of hanging around them for now.

Anyways he and Osomatsu are literally I'm Glad You're Evil Too to me . And also look at these sketches of him .

[townsenddecades]

1323 – Day 4

Over the following months, the earl’s brother continues his visits to Malika, so that even the neighbours and the children eventually realize what is transpiring. The barbed comments by their neighbours – some of whom, like the older Watmores, remember Anne Townsend and her noble bastard – have no difficulty in getting under Benjamin’s skin.

They don’t argue over Malika’s dalliance. It is far too late for that. But Benjamin is quicker to anger over small things, which she finds difficult to bear without becoming irritated herself. They try to put a good face on it, but it’s obvious to the rest of the family that their relationship is suffering.

But there are happy tidings, in these months, too. Little Edwin has survived his first eighteen months of life, and while the crops aren’t growing as much as the Townsends would like, they are growing.

Benjamin and Malcolm spend some of the sunnier autumn days at the river to fish, which affords them no small catch. Malika, meanwhile, spends most of her days doing housework, caring for the cow in the morning and for the children until sundown. Little Edwin is getting more curious by the day, and she makes it a priority to spend some time teaching him all the skills he will need.

And there are, of course, her stolen hours with Clement Dudley.

She has realized early on that her lover – although she hates to think of him that way, that’s what he is – is at his most open after their roll in the sheets. She does her best to simply stay quiet and listen to him talk. And he talks a lot; at first mostly about hunting and Praaven society, about this or that noble or rich citizen, but eventually, he also speaks about his jealousy of his brother’s position, about his difficulties with his wife, whom he calls a ‘headstrong, impertinent wench’, and about his own son, just a few months old.

He is in an especially sour mood when he tells her that the countess is with child again.

“Of course, he fathers a child just when I have a son that could inherit. With my luck, it’s going to be a boy, too.”

“But doesn’t the earl already have a daughter?”, she asks, timidly, but Dudley only makes a dismissive motion.

“Why should my niece inherit if she has a male cousin? Our lands passing to another family is no good.”

She wants to ask more, but she has already gleaned that he doesn’t like it when she ventures opinions about politics. So, she merely smiles at him. “I’ll pray that everything will go smoothly for you. Perhaps the countess will have another girl.”

“Perhaps”, he mutters darkly.

She doesn’t ask for any favours that night, although she had planned to, but only dares it a week or so later, when he is in a calmer mood. They have again shared the bed and aren’t dressed yet. She takes a deep breath.

“My lord, I want to ask some advice.”

“Advice?”, he asks, sounding both confused and amused.

“You may know that the harvest season is coming up. My husband has planted fruit to sell to some vintners, but I have been trying to encourage him to get into nectar-making himself. But he is hesitant, because the cost would be so great and we would need to join the nectar-makers’ guild, for which we’d need to establish proper contacts.”

He chuckles. “Your husband is likely quite right about that, my dear.”

“I was wondering if maybe you know someone that could help us with the guild and the equipment. A great man like you must know a great many people.”

He turns away to put on his garments, obviously already bored. “I do, but I don’t see how your farming is any concern of mine. Our nights together have been enjoyable. Don’t make if burdensome by bringing business into it.”

She lowers her gaze, cursing herself for having gone about it so bluntly. “Of course, m’lord. I am worried for my family, that is all.”

“As a good wife and mother should be, I suppose. But you’re asking the wrong person.”

He leaves, after that, but tells her that he will be back. So she hasn’t driven him off, hopefully. She is far from giving up on her plan, even if her first attempt failed. That only means she has to be smarter the next time.

WATCHER’S NEWS:

Lady Viviane Penrith has aged up into a toddler. Sadly, that happy event is overshadowed by the death of her infant sister, Lady Margaret, due to her ill-health.  

Prev: 1323, Day 3, Part 2/2 <--> Next: 1323 Statistics

[tqmies]

Congratulations on 1k you deserve them so much!!! Can I request au Haechan + superhero / villain ( Hyuck ) + prompt 3 / 4

Bad for Us | Lee Haechan

Part of Tqmies 1K Event!

Superhero x Supervillian!Haechan, 3.“I fucking hate you.” “No you don’t. Take that back right now.”  4. “You know I’d do anything to have you stay by my side, right? Anything.”  wc. 1.7k note: we really all are suffering from hyuck brainrot huh... Warnings: reader makes a hard choice, moral dilemmas, death, explosions, and bombs, ANGSTY

When you and Lee Donghyuck entered the academy at fourteen, you were sure you'd be together for the rest of your lives. You two had been friends since you were kids and had done everything together.

The minute you two got your powers, you both had no qualms about applying to the same hero school. You were both equally as nervous, but ended up getting in, though in seperate classes.

Your hero name was mirage, and it was exactly as it suggested. You could create illusions, of or around you. Even things such as duplicating yourself, or putting your opponents into false scenery. You basically could shield yourself from them and become almost invisible, leaving them vulnerable to attacks.

Of course, there were downsides to your ability, as there is with anyone's. Sometimes, you can't even tell what's real or what's an illusion, as you can't fully control it.

Despite this, you had the utmost hero potential, and was placed in the main class.

Donghyuck on the other hand, was placed in the lower level. His ability was simply sun, as he could shoot beacons of light from his body. Sometimes he could even light his entire body, blinding an opponent momentarily. Though, it could only last so long and he didn't have a good grasp on it either.

Now, this didn't have much attack value, and he was seen as more sidekick potential. This discouraged him a bit, but he remained, adamant that he could hone his skills into superhero level in no time.

Things changed when you graduated.

You both graduated and passed exams necessary for becoming a pro hero. Despite what most had said, Donghyuck worked hard and proved everyone wrong, and you had never been happier. He had even adopted a cute hero name, Haechan.

You were both certified members of the hero league - rookies albeit - but this was your dream come true.

Mirage and Haechan, untouchable, well for the time being.

It was only your second mission.

You both were working with another hero, Moonlight, who met you two at the scene. She was a lot more experienced than you all, so naturally you looked to her for guidance.

"So I was thinking, I'll use my ability to get the passengers out of the train. I'll put up an illusion so the conductor doesn't notice it happening." You nod, sure you plan was a good one.

The hostages in there were being drove to their death by a super villain who posed as the conductor. The cars were equipped with a bomb that would blow up when it came to as stop, and he was planning to explode in a busy part of the city.

But Moonlight shook her head. "We can't save them."

You stopped in your tracks. "What do you mean?"

"There's no time." She admits, dejectedly. "If we're going to keep the train from hitting the station and blowing up half the city, we need to get that train to stop farther away."

Haechan furrows his brows. "But once it stops-"

"It blows up." Moonlight finishes, "Yes it does."

"But what about the people inside?" You yelp, watching the train continue from the hill you're all atop. "I can get them, just give me five minutes and-"

"We don't have time." She interrupts, sternly. "We stop that train now or we lose thousands of people."

"Moonlight," Haechan tries to protest but she stands her ground.

"Of course you rookies are confused." She looks down. "You'd risk a train blowing you and tons of people up if it meant you could try and save thirteen in there. Always something to prove."

But it wasn't that way at all. "Who are you to decide that their lives aren't worth just as much?"

"A pro-hero." She snaps. "And when you're one, you have to make these decisions, okay?"

"The people in that train have families," Haechan speaks. "They have children, jobs, - their own lives."

"And so do the people in those buildings, which that train is heading straight for." Moonlight responds. "Now ask yourselves this, would you rather save thirteen peoples lives? Or a thousand?"

Haechan looks bewildered. "I'd want to save all of them." And he moves to get down the hill, ready to risk his life.

"Donghyuck-" You grab him by his arm. "Don't."

"Are you serious?" He asks, brushing your arm off.

"There's nothing we can do, let's just stop the-"

"I can't believe you." He says, whispering as he stares at you with wide eyes. "You want to let them die?"

"We don't have a choice."

"There's always a choice." He responds.

"If we don't act now, then that train is going to crash into that station and explode everyone!" Moonlight steps in, looking between you two.

"What happened to saving every life we could?" Haechan stares you in the eyes, referencing the promises you had made as kids. "Even if it meant risking our lives?"

"This is not a risk, this is a death wish!" You state, and Haechan looks away.

You turn to the train, closing your eyes as you take a deep breath. You gather up your energy and cause a projection of a building to take place in front of the moving vehicle. It abruptly comes to a halt as you assume the villain grew confused and stopped.

Then the explosion followed.

Moonlight directs her attention towards you as you watch in horror. "Mirage, stop anyone from seeing it."

"W-what?"

"Use your ability to cloak the explosion, we don't want anyone to see." She repeats, and you follow, hands shaky and head muddy.

Haechan steps back from behind you, watching in distress as you put your powers to work. He grows even more terrified as the scene becomes clean, like nothing was never even there.

You had masked it all, the train, the rubble. The bodies.

Moonlights eyes widen, taking in the scene. "Wow, it's like it never even happened."

Haechan feels sick to his stomach.

You can only nod, willing yourself to stop the tears that threaten to slip. You had to keep it together, this is what being a super hero was about. This was your job, this is what you do for your city, for your people.

"How could you say that?" Haechan spells in disgust as he points to the empty area. "Of course it happened, those people are dead."

The elder hero just tilts her head up. "Their sacrifice will be remembered."

Haechan's had enough of this, this isn't what he signed up for. This wasn't how you saved a city, this was wrong. And it stung that someone he knew his whole life complied, he felt like he didn't know you at all, like you were a stranger to him. How could you?

"Donghyuck-"

"I fucking hate you." He sputters, turning around.

You freeze. "No you don't. Take that back right now."

"I don't even know who you are." He admits, and you want to cry.

You almost fall to your knees, pleading. "It's me, Hyuck you know me."

"Not anymore, the person I knew would've never done this."

"You did the right thing." Moonlight reassures you, holding your hand. "Good to know that Haechan here would crumble under pressure."

"You know if this is what being a hero entails, then I want out."

"Oh so you go running from your first little challenge? Did you think it was all going to be fun and games?" Moonlight continues as you stand motionless.

Haechan just brushes her off, giving you one last look before he begins walking away.

"And where are you going?" She shouts after him, anger present in her voice. "Abandoning a mission?"

Haechan doesn't even look back once.

The next time you see Haechan is when a raid takes place at your base. It's been two years since you last saw him, since he last told you he hated you.

It still stung, but not as much as what you found out after.

Haechan had joined the villain's league. He had been apart of them for about a year now, and you always wondered why. You figured after he resigned from being a hero, that he would just live a quiet life as a normal civilian. But that wasn't very Haechan-like, was it?

No he saw an injustice, and made it his priority to oppose what the heroes were doing. Especially, you.

"I won't hesitate to kill you right now, Donghyuck."

"Oh I know you won't." He laughs. "I've seen it myself."

"Stop," You shake your head, it had taken a while to get over the entire thing yourself. It was your duty as a hero, and you had saved lives that day, you just did what you had to do.

"And call me Haechan, that's still my name."

"Haechan was your hero name," You seethe, fighting against the restraints. "You're not a hero anymore."

He claps his hands. "And thank the lord for that."

"Untie me Donghyuck."

"Haechan," He corrects, and he shakes his head. "What would be the fun in that?"

"Why are you doing this?" You speak, closing your eyes.

"You're here to make a decision." He laughs, eyes crinkling.

You stay quiet, "What do you want."

"There's a bomb in here." He states, and you tense up. "Sound familiar?"

"What-"

"You have two options. One, you can use your little illusion to get out of here, leaving your friends to die." He nods, and he stops you from responding. "Two, you can try to rush in and save everyone. Either way, this bomb's going off in three minutes."

"You can stop this, you can just walk out now. I promise, we won't go after you, I won't tell-"

"Shut up." He stops you, "You did this."

"Me?"

"Me?" He mocks before tightening the rope around your hands. "I loved you, you know? I looked up to you too, worked so damn hard so we could be heroes together. Pushed myself to my limits so I could keep up and be just like you."

You look in confusion. "I didn't know that."

"But then you let me down. My hero, and you let me down."

You don't know what to say, "We can work this out. Please, Donghyuck I'll make it up to you."

"Shut up." He rolls his eyes. "Timer starts now, better get to running."

[cherrylng]

2001 'Origin of Symmetry' Interview - Matthew Bellamy [CROSSBEAT Muse Special Book]

"You're playing mellow songs all the time, and then suddenly you can't help but explode and play the heavier stuff, because you keep doing the same thing and you get bored of it."

2001 interview revealing the background to Origin of Symmetry. Interview by Akiko Mima

The quality and scale of the songs on 'Origin of Symmetry' have improved dramatically. Some of the songs were already performed live when you came to Japan last year, so the songwriting process seems to have gone smoothly, but what was the most difficult part? 「For this album, it was difficult to manage the equipment and decide on the recording method. There were so many options. We ended up mostly sticking to a simple three-piece band format, because we got confused with too many instruments and equipment. 'Megalomania' and 'Space Dementia' are big, heartfelt compositions, and we struggled to find a good way to reproduce them with just three people. Especially as we did most of it on piano and the harmonies were quite complex.」

Yes. This time around, you made a new attempt in terms of sound-making, actively incorporating synths, piano and strings. Is this because you wanted to broaden your sound without sticking to a three-piece rock band? 「We want to break the limits of a three-piece band. Especially when I write songs, I'm half piano, half guitar, and I want to somehow incorporate that into the album. Of course, I also love bands like Ben Folds Five, and I want to show that a three-piece doesn't necessarily have to be guitar-oriented.」

What do you think is the difference between the first album and the new one? 「Well, I think it's that we're more confident. We've become more sure of our skills as musicians. Overall, we're sounding more like a three-piece band.」

The combination of your emotional vocals with the overall intense guitar sound of "Bliss", "Space Dementia" and "Plug In Baby" is impressive, but what is it that drives you to such intense emotions? 「Maybe it's that……. Uh, what's that? (laughs)…… Ah, yes. I think that people today have a vague fear that something is wrong with humanity, compared to people in the past. They have a premonition that in another 100 or 200 years there will be fatal environmental destruction or disasters, don't they? Young people are using all kinds of things as a medium to connect with other people in this situation. I also have the feeling that I need to be more connected to the world, and I think I'm driven by that. I'm not very good at conveying messages, but one thing I can say is that using too many words can be intimidating. So I'd rather stimulate people with music than with words. I want to make people realise the connection between people through sound.」

But usually artists want to express themselves first. Is that not quite the same thing? 「I don't think I can give you a definite answer, but the name of the band "Muse" was also given with the intention of inspiring people to be creative in the world…… Maybe (laughs). For me, music is a way of expressing what I can't communicate in my everyday life.」

What is it that you wanted to achieve with this album? 「It wasn't a very difficult idea. I just wanted to make life a bit better (laughs). I just wanted to make a better album than the last one, that kind of thing. There was no big concept, just a constant expansion of our knowledge of what was going on around us. Especially making this album, I learnt a lot about music and myself. Touring and meeting new people has also been very informative. I just want to keep absorbing information.」

What does the album title 'Origin of Symmetry' mean? 「It has to do with the artwork. There are about 15 artists involved, each doing something in a different form. It could be a two-dimensional painting or a three-dimensional statue. But they are all given a common theme. That's 'bringing order to chaos'. In other words, finding symmetry in chaos. It's the same with the songs, there are different styles, but the basic idea is the same. The title also ties in with my idea of "consciousness". For me, "consciousness" is the evolution of all elements. When objects are broken into incredibly fine particles in the Big Bang, they eventually make up the nucleus. When the nucleus becomes conscious, it becomes an atom. The atoms go back and forth violently with each other and eventually build elements. This process repeats itself and eventually evolves into planets and stars. The countless stars in the night sky were originally one star that exploded a long time ago. When you think about it, you realise that in the very beginning all the planets and stars were united under one consciousness. That's why, I think, humanity is in a violent collision with each other, i.e. in a state of chaos.」

I think the vibrant and dynamic sound of the new album is the result of repeated live performances. Muse is a band that places a lot of importance on live shows - what is the stage like for you? 「It's where I can feel myself as I am. I'm also happy to be able to present myself to so many people. Especially when you live in a city surrounded by a lot of people, you tend to become closed off, don't you? So it's fun to be able to expose myself freely on stage. Especially when you have friends close to the stage, you can be more honest with yourself. I think everyone does something similar in their own way.」

Yes. I also think that Muse's music is characterised by 'strange contrasts'. Within a single song, movement and stillness, hope and despair, light and shadow, heat and cold coexist. When you write songs, are you always aware that there are two sides to things, or multiple sides? 「Maybe I am. I don't know if it's completely conscious. At least not intentionally. But I do think that life is always about how you reconcile between the poles. In any case, I'll be playing mellow songs all the time, for example, and then suddenly I explode and I can't stop playing heavy stuff. Sometimes I mix mellow and heavy in one song. If you keep doing the same thing, you get bored of it.」

I see. And one more thing. I think there is always a sense of "pain" behind the intensity of Muse's sound. 「It's not "pain", it's me in an extreme state. Otherwise, it's the result of pushing my body to the limit using my emotions. Some people might see it as "pain", but for me it's the greatest pleasure. Well, it's not so much pleasure, it's more like a great emotional experience. I can't say it well. No, I can say it, but I'm embarrassed. For example, let's say I'm having the ultimate sex (laughs). It's the greatest pleasure, but if a child who doesn't understand sex sees it, it's just pain. What you see in music is also an extreme state of enjoyment for me.」

Yeah, yeah (laughs). Even in the song structures, many of the songs start off calmly, but then change key and become hard. Are you trying to express that kind of worldview in these songs too? 「I don't know. I wonder if it's just a quirk? (laughs) It's true that it's something that's inside me. In the end I'm making a sound that I find interesting, and that sound is somewhere between calm and extreme.」

Well, you go from calm to angry quite often, don't you (laughs). I wondered if it was the same for you, by any chance. 「Yes, of course, there are times when I feel limited by my physical condition or social situation. I just don't know the specific cause. I'll have to think about it next time (laughs).」

Considering when you started out in music, how do you think you have changed as a songwriter? 「Hmmm. I think I've gradually become more open than before. I'm no longer ashamed to be honest. In the beginning, I was worried about whether what I was sending out was reaching listeners in a meaningful way, but now I'm more satisfied with myself as I am.」

With the saturation of various technologies and methodologies, the concept of 'rock' is also changing, isn't it? Radiohead are a band who have found a new way of life for rock by dismantling the conventions of rock, what do you think of their kind of methodology? 「In the end, we're all human beings in the same way. Some of them use music as a tool to communicate their thoughts. But it doesn't matter what technology, equipment or style you use to communicate. What is important is the emotion in the music. People create different styles. Not only music, but also religions are very diverse. But the reality is that the world is now integrating so many different cultures that categorisation is becoming less and less meaningful. Whether you are a Christian or a Hindu, you are looking for the same thing. It's the same with music. Even if a band's style of music suddenly changes, you have to understand that it's still the same people who are making it.」

As for Muse, are you aiming to create a sound that will be ahead of its time? 「(laughs) I'm still too afraid to talk about that. Hehehe.」

Or is it always the individual listener that you are aiming for? 「Yes. I want to value the individual. I just want to keep making good music, but I don't want to be famous for it. In any case, any band that says they want to make a sound that's ahead of its time is going to be ridiculed by their listeners.」

"I genuinely believe that there can't be a new sound, that we're just taking what's been ingrained in us for thousands of years and mixing it with what's old."

Hahaha. But artists are all about "new", aren't they? They want to keep evolving, rather than going back to tradition. 「I think the 'new' is just a mixture of the old and the modern. Tomorrow, a new pianist might emerge and people might say that his style is innovative, but in fact it's a style that's been used for hundreds of years. Of course, it's important to keep learning new things to feed yourself. But I believe that there can never be anything genuinely new. I think it's always just a mix of old stuff. You're inheriting something that's been ingrained for thousands of years somewhere. If you try to trace the origin, it will be chaos, a big mess.」

Translator's Note: I've spent 2 days scanning more magazines to be uploaded onto my hard drive. Still quite a lot to go through, really.

[mika-writes-fanfics]

Healing Touch

Dabi x Fem!Reader fan fiction

Synopsis: You encounter an injured Shigaraki and offer your healing quirk to his aid. Little did you know, healers were hard to come by in the underground and Shigaraki takes a liking to your skills. To further his cause, he kidnaps you and holds you captive under the watch of the LOV. You play the role of the LOV's little healer while you think of a way to escape. Unbeknownst to you, the pyromaniac with a cold heart begins to melt in your presence. Your compassion and wit draw him in, all the while he swears it's only curiosity he feels toward you. But when your touch heals his burns and your personality soothes his anguish, Dabi begins to wonder, what exactly is he feeling for you? And why the hell does he feel so torn up when you slip away?

Warnings/Tags: canon-typical violence, Stockholm syndrome, kidnapping, female/afab reader, healing quirk, aftermath of hideout raid

Author's Note: Okay a lot happens this chapter but bear with me, I’m speedrunning to the smut because I promised within 3 chapters and I’m trying to fucking deliver. I originally wanted to have reader also be teleported away with Bakugo since it would be closer to the canon, as AFO tp’d bakugo since Shiggy thought he was important. I went with this instead because the other idea did not translate well in writing. Waaaayy too much action for a fic, I’ll take a plot hole instead, thank you very much. You guys pick if you drink tea or coffee (if you drink neither I'm sorry lol). Anyways, rambling aside, I hope you enjoy

Word Count: 8.1K

Link to AO3

Chapter Eight: Pizza Delivery!

Dabi can tell you’re much more distant now, no doubt because of what Compress said, or rather, what the league had done. You try to hide your feelings behind a mask of neutrality, but Dabi is perceptive. He’s good at reading people, especially you. You’ve spent so much time around him and you’ve occupied so much space in his head that it’s become second nature for him to memorize your face. Besides the fact that he’s noticed your face is no longer as carefree, it’s easy to see how much differently you’re acting towards him. You heal his hands over without any comments and your touch doesn’t linger on him a moment longer than necessary. You’ve completely withdrawn from him, it seems.

“Let him out of the marble in a minute, we need time to prepare,” Shigaraki orders. “Kurogiri, get the stuff.” 

Kurogiri nods and bows, leaving the room to fetch the required restraints. You watch in slight horror as he returns with a chair, hand restraints, and a full-body harness equipped with locks. They must really think this kid is a danger to them to go to those lengths. You weren’t even restrained like that when Shigaraki abducted you, but to be fair, your kidnapping was more spur of the moment and less planned out than this. If snatching this kid was the whole purpose of the mission, the LOV has been gearing up for at least a week. You remember hearing Magne say this plan will humiliate UA, and you know Shigaraki’s main goal is dismantling hero society. You’re not entirely sure how the two are connected, but there’s one thing you’re sure of: Shigaraki will use any methods necessary to achieve that goal. 

You’re glad you finished healing Dabi when you did. Touching him after seeing the methods they intend to use on a child would confuse you more than you already are. You want to ask him just what the hell was he thinking, why did he even agree to this, and what methods would he stoop down to in order to achieve his own goals. You want to know, no, you need to know, as if understanding would make the hurt go away and would repair your now tainted view of him. This situation makes you realize how far you’ve fallen, how desensitized to their crimes you’ve become. Seeing the league’s humanity and domesticity has done a number on your mind. What part do you play in this? Are you helping them commit these atrocities? Or are you really just looking out for yourself? The questions and racing thoughts burn through your emotional energy. You feel so damn drained. 

As confusing and depressing as your situation is right now, you have to ask yourself: What can you do right now? You don’t have the power to run away, to change their minds, to condemn their behavior, to break the kid out of captivity. But what you can do is heal the kid if he’s hurt, share with him what you’ve learned, and provide him with anything that could possibly be useful. If this kid has a fighting quirk, he has the best chance of getting out. If he manages to pull it off then maybe, just maybe, he could tell someone where you are. People aren’t looking for you because it looked like you either disappeared into thin air or ran off entirely without telling anyone. If the authorities know where to look and who you’re with, it’s possible you can get out sooner. The moral dilemmas will come after you’ve made it out, but not a moment sooner. Carrying on is all you can do besides give the kid all the tools to escape. 

While you’re in your own head rationalizing everything, Dabi takes notice of you. He sees the gears turning in your head and the expressions of sadness that accompany them. It wrenches his chest, a bit, to see you so despondent and to experience you acting so distant. He’s grown used to the banter you share. Your laughs, smiles, and mischievous expressions have become simple pleasures he looks forward to after a long day of tainting his hands and staining his soul. All good things must come to an end, he’s especially cognizant of that fact of life. Still, it stings to know the good slice of his life that is you will be ripped away from him so soon. He convinces himself it’s for the best. Growing closer to you is a distraction from his life’s purpose. Losing you is part of the price tag that comes with buying into revenge. 

The two of you are stirred out of your thoughts upon Kurogiri setting everything up under Shigaraki’s orders. The chair is placed on the opposite side of the room, far away from everyone else. With all the restraints weaved through the chair legs and backrest, it won’t be easy for this kid to just break free of the bindings. Shigaraki gives the go-ahead, allowing Compress to release his quirk. The kid emerges from the marble and lays out on the floor, unconscious. Seeing the kid completely unresponsive makes you sick. Intrusive thoughts make you picture this poor kid getting knocked out before his abduction, which only worsens your spiraling mind. 

“Well that’s definitely Bakugo Katsuki,” Shigaraki comments. “Why’s he knocked out though? I told you all to not harm the target.”

“Looks like he fell asleep in that marble,” Compress reasons. “He was unharmed when he went in, but he’s been compressed for an hour or two. I suspect he was bored in there.” You find yourself feeling somewhat relieved upon hearing this information. 

“I guess this is to our benefit. He’ll be easier to restrain this way,” Shigaraki settles. “Kurogiri, you do it. If he wakes up, you know what to do.” Kurogiri follows his orders and gently places Bakugo in the chair, clasping all the restraints around him. It’s kind of amazing how he’s able to sleep through it all.

‘This kid is one hell of a heavy sleeper,’ you think. 

“Since he’s still asleep, we’ll go over what happens next,” Shigaraki announces.

“Should we really do this in earshot of him? If he wakes up, he’ll hear everything,” Dabi criticizes. 

“Well we can’t just leave him alone,” Shigaraki refutes. 

“Look at him, do you really think he’ll be able to get out of that?” Dabi points out. Shigaraki seems to consider the idea, though he doesn’t budge quite yet. “It’s your call, but I think this is stupid either way.”

“Fine! We’ll talk about it in the kitchen,” Shigaraki throws his hands up and relents. The rest of the league files out of the room. You’re about to follow before Shigaraki singles you out. “And you,” he points at you. “Go to your room.”

“Me? What did I do?” You ask, incredulously. Somehow this feels like a punishment. 

“I’m not risking you breaking out the kid and ruining my plans while we’re busy,” he justifies. “You’re going upstairs.” 

“Okay mom, how long am I grounded for then?”

“Until I say so. Go fuck off to your room, now,” he warns, crimson eyes glaring at you in annoyance. His tone and choice of words let you know he’s in no mood for your antics or sarcasm today. Shigaraki seems tense. This plan of his is evidently high stakes, but so is yours. You take the warning and head up the stairs, pretending to go into your room. Your feet stop just short of the top of the stairs, carefully peering around the corner and listening out. 

Shigaraki pulls them all to another room to start discussing the plan, detailing the reason why he asked for Bakugo’s kidnapping. You’re ever thankful that the league tends to be loud as it makes your intentions much easier to pull off. You slip past the door and carefully tiptoe to the kid. Your luck must finally be turning, as you see the kid slowly start to regain consciousness. He blinks a few times, carmine eyes adjusting to the light. You see a flash of panic on his face upon seeing the new environment and feeling the restraints constricting his body. 

“I’m sorry this happened to you. Did they hurt you?” You whisper, expressing your condolences. He seems to be a fiery kid, as his face twists in a sneer. 

“Get the fuck away from me, wench,” the blonde kid bites. You back up and raise your arms, despite the fact he’s completely tied to a chair. You’re starting to see the intimidation factor that seems to surround this kid. 

“Woah there, I’m like you, kid. I don’t want to be here either, they kidnapped me too,” you negotiate carefully. 

“So what, you just decided to fight for them after they kidnapped you? That’s pretty pathetic if you ask me,” he insults. Your eyebrow twitches. You’re trying to help him, does this kid really need to rub salt in the wound?

“One, I didn’t ask you. Two, I can’t fight, I’m here because of my healing quirk. And three, I’m trying to help you,” you lecture. 

“Oh,” he says, in a rather small voice. It’s clear the kid is at least a little ashamed of his outburst. 

“Yeah, jump to conclusions much?” You sass. You try to reign in your exasperation and approach the situation gently. “Now, one more time, are you hurt?” 

“I’m fine, they barely even scratched me. Though that one stapled guy had a death grip on my neck,” he complains. Your heart drops at the revelation.

“Sounds like Dabi,” you inform, trying to cover up your saddened tone. You push your emotions to the side and focus on helping the kid. A quick visual pass over his neck doesn’t reveal any injuries, thankfully. “I don’t see any bruises, so it looks like you’re okay.” 

“How long have you been here?” He asks. You can almost detect the faintest bit of sympathy in his voice.

“You know, now that you mention it… I’ve kinda lost track,” you say somberly. “But that doesn’t matter right now. Do you know if your friends or teachers see it happen? If they know why you’re gone and who took you, they’re probably already looking for you as we speak.”

“Oh they saw everything alright,” he snorts. You’re surprised at that, you would have figured with all the sneaky quirks up their sleeve that the LOV would have done this stealthily. Though, remembering how Magne remarked that this plan was supposed to humiliate UA, which you’ve come to realize is a school, makes you see that stealth was never the point. 

“I have a feeling the heroes will at least try to rescue you, but if you have a strong quirk, you might be able to make your own way,” you explain. “But listen to me, do not brute force an escape. Take the opportunity if it presents itself, but don’t put yourself in danger. If you get out and I don’t, keep going. You can just tell the heroes where I am.” 

“Like I’d leave a civilian with them. I wouldn’t be a hero-in-training if I just left you here. We’ll break out of here and pummel those bastards, I promise!” he says with conviction. His spitfire personality grows on you a bit in that moment. Even though he was a little rude to you at first, you still want to help him any way you can. You fill him in on what you’ve learned about the league, mostly giving him information about all their quirks and potential weaknesses. The league’s chatter in the other room seems to slowly die down. With the remaining time you have, you warn him not to attack and that subtly is safer, to which he seems incredibly appalled by.  

“I’m not much of a faker,” he says with pride. “I make my own opening, my way.” 

“We’ll talk about why that’s such a terrible idea later, I gotta go back before they notice,” You hurriedly advise. “You gotta pretend you didn’t see me, alright? I wasn’t supposed to be down here with you.” He gives you an understanding nod and you take the chance to scurry away. You’re actually thankful you’ve been at the league’s base for so long, as you’ve recognized which floorboards creak the most and which path is the quietest. You slip away and head to your room, unnoticed. It’s incredibly lucky that you haven’t been caught scheming. Your ears strain to pick up on everyone’s footfalls until the sounds become more clear, before eventually stopping entirely. It seems they’re done with the debriefing process and are back in the bar. 

“Y/n! Shigaraki said you’re not grounded anymore!” Toga calls out. You don’t hesitate to take the opportunity and you head downstairs, joining the others. Everyone seems to be staring at Bakugo in either anticipation or caution. They seem to avoid getting near his space, as evident by the distance between Bakugo and the others. The atmosphere is incredibly tense, no doubt due to the seething expression on Bakugo’s face. An uneasy silence settles in the room. Even the more talkative members of the LOV refrain from talking. Shigaraki is the one to speak first, breaking the silence and establishing his control over the situation. 

“Dabi, take off his restraints,” Shigaraki commands.

“You know he’s just going to try to fight us, right?” Dabi asks, doubtful of his leader’s plan.

“It’s fine, if we’re scouting him, we need to treat him like equals,” Shigaraki dismisses.  Shigaraki’s words fail to convince him. 

Dabi looks at the kid, sizing him up. He must not like what he sees as he offloads the responsibility onto Twice. “Twice, you do it.”

“Why me?!” Twice exclaims. Even he doesn’t seem too thrilled about the idea.

“Just do it,” Dabi insists, exasperated by Twice’s hesitance. 

“No way,” Twice denies with exaggerated gestures, before dropping the resistance entirely. Twice ends up walking over to Bakugo and unlocking all the restraints. You try to shoot him a look as a reminder about what the two of you secretly discussed: don’t be stupid and do something obvious. The warning is lost on the kid as he ignores your intense gaze and lunges for Shigaraki. An explosion hits the leader in the face, clouding him in a bit of smoke. The kid quickly backs away from Shigaraki’s space, taking advantage of the initial shock.

You stare at Bakugo, dumbfounded, with an expression that can only communicate, ‘What the fuck are you doing?!’ 

You feel yourself sweating out of stress. Shigaraki seems completely stunned, but despite his initial lack of reaction, you find yourself growing anxious upon realizing that his hand mask is on the floor. You’ve never seen him take it off. He’s gotta be especially protective over that thing. Bakugo seems to be eyeing the situation, eyes darting back and forth between everyone, clearly cooking up a plan to escape. It’s then you realized you forgot to tell him all the doors are locked. You feel a dawning horror invade your emotions. This is going terribly and you can’t help but feel it’s all your fault. 

To your surprise, Shigaraki doesn’t respond with malice. Rather, he commands for everyone to leave the kid unharmed. He specifically instructs Compress and Kurogiri to put him back to sleep. The mercy the LOV leader is showing is incredibly unlike him, but welcome nonetheless. Shigaraki’s orders make you release the breath you were holding and relax. Still, you don’t tear your eyes away from the scene unfolding, staying alert in case you can help the kid out in some way. Compress carefully begins to approach Bakugo. The kid sizes up the situation and seems to brace himself for the chance he could dodge Compress. 

A knock on the door makes everyone halt in their places, momentarily pausing the confrontation. “Pizza delivery!” A voice says from behind the door. The league members look at each other in skepticism. 

“Did one of you idiots order a fucking pizza, I swear to god-“ Shigaraki questions, cut off by a loud crash that sounds off to the right of them. You turn to look, seeing the wall blown in by people donned in capes and bodysuits. The sight makes you want to cry in relief. It’s the heroes, the two of you are saved. You even see All Might amongst the heroes, the man who’s known internationally for being the unbeatable symbol of peace. You just hope that All Might remains unstoppable in the face of the League of Villains. The heroes don’t hesitate a second longer, as everyone springs into action. Tree branches reach for all the villains, ensnaring everyone, including you. It's then you realize how your situation must look from the outside. The heroes think you’re a villain.

Fuck.

How do you convince them you’re not a threat when there’s not even time for you to speak?

A flash of blue fire erupts from Dabi’s head. If the heroes don’t neutralize his quirk, he’ll definitely burn the branches restraining you all until nothing remains but ash. You were hopeful you’d get out of here, but you’re feeling doubtful now. The situation is incredibly hectic and ever-changing. A flash of yellow zooms past you, moving far too fast for your eyes to fully comprehend. When you turn your head, you catch sight of an old man in a yellow cape kicking Dabi on the back of the head. Dabi’s eyes seem to roll back and he slumps forward into the branches. The scene makes you absolutely dumbstruck. Dabi is knocked out cold.

With Dabi ‘dispatched’, his flames are no longer an issue. The only blaring issue that remains to you is figuring out how to convince the heroes you aren’t a criminal. You’re not really given an opportunity, as All Might’s booms over yours. The sheer volume of his voice commands the room, there’s no way you can speak over him. All Might is completely focused on Bakugo, fussing over him like a concerned parent. They have a quick, heart-to-heart conversation, something about how terrifying it must have been for Bakugo to handle this on his own. Even in such a sincere moment, Bakugo’s personality shines through, as he vehemently denies ever feeling scared at all. The heroes are gloating as Shigaraki seethes at the scene, twitching from rage. You swear your eyes catch sight of something in the air, some red string that keeps catching the light. You’re straining to see what it is when the thread thickens. A face emerges from the thread, startling you. You’d jump on the spot if you weren’t completely immobilized. 

“Oh? Who’s this? It appears our intel failed to find out a new villain joined their ranks,” the face muses. You open your mouth to counter his accusation, but you’re beaten to the point. 

“Edgeshot, she’s not a villain!” Bakugo yells. “She’s just a civilian.” 

“Not only did you abduct my pupil, but a civilian too?” All Might condemns, before confidently continuing. “It’s over. The childish pranks end now.”

All Might’s words must have enraged Shigaraki and pulled him out of his stunned stupor. Shigaraki shouts orders at Kurogiri to open up a warp gate, but the heroes have thought ahead. Kurogiri is pierced through the abdomen by who you understand is the hero Edgeshot, and promptly slumps over, Kurogiri’s body seemingly completely limp. You’re aghast in horror until the hero reappears from the thread and claims to have merely put him to sleep. You feel like you’re on a rollercoaster, with constant ups and downs, getting scared and worried just to feel slightly more at ease before the cycle happens again. 

All Might seems to ask Shigaraki a question, something that seems important to the heroes, but you don’t pay it any mind. You can’t seem to focus on their conversation. Something just seems off. It appears there’s something in certain spots of the air that distorts, rippling in a way that’s reminiscent of water. You know it’s not the thread hero again, as he’s already materialized. These distortions are much different anyways. It’s almost like a dark spot is appearing, floating in space. Your suspicions are confirmed as black ooze seems to drip down out of thin air. The viscous mixture seems to grow in size as it pours down until you see pale limbs reaching out. Strange, humanoid beings come out of the sludge. Several of them have their brains exposed and completely uncovered by a skull. You feel sick just at the sight of something so unnatural and grotesque. What the hell are these things? 

Whatever summoned these creatures takes advantage of the chaos. Black sludge erupts from the mouths of all LOV members. It encases the villains in a shroud of darkness and their bodies disappear into the inky depths, without a trace and leaving behind empty space where they were once restrained by branches. Bakugo seems to have been transported out of the room as well. His disappearance causes All Might to frantically yell upon failing to grab him. You’re shocked to see the hero look so caught off guard and genuinely emotional. He’s always been known to smile even in the face of danger. The fact he’s so openly shouting in distress is more than alarming. 

You’re even more taken aback when you see the creatures begin to lunge for the heroes, forcing All Might and the rest to fight back. It’s clear to you that whatever the hell these monsters are, they’re far from friendly and they are numerous. The creatures seem to be even outside of the bar, as evident by the shrills of terror. It sounds terrible out there, you can hear screams, bullets, and the sound of fighting. 

As you watch the scene unfold, your eyes accidentally make eye contact with a monster. One seems to turn in your direction and hone in on you. Your wide eyes stare in horror at the creature as it rushes towards you. It leaps and lunges at you. You flinch and screw your eyes shut, unable to do anything else besides steel yourself for the inevitable. The wooden hero creates a wall of branches between you and the monster, blocking off its attack. 

“There’s too many! Kamui, get her out of here!” You overhear Edgeshot shout. Kamui, who you’ve come to realize is the tree hero, follows Edgeshot’s orders. The branches pull you from the room and out from the gaping hole in the wall, away from the chaos and combat. You’re lifted onto a nearby roof, still tightly bound by Kamui’s quirk. He stands near the edge of the building, seemingly scanning the surroundings, probably looking for a safer place to deliver you. You look over the streets as well, seeing destruction everywhere you look. It’s clear there’s no escape from the turmoil just yet. You catch his heroic posture faltering, with his shoulders drooping ever so slightly. No words are shared between the two of you as you both wait for the conflict to die down, unable to tear your eyes away from the morbid scene. 

Eventually, enough bullets are spent and enough blood has been shed, as the strange creatures are put down. Kamui makes the descent down from the roof with you in tow. You’re delivered in front of a flaming hero, with a permanent scowl on his face, conversing with a police officer. Their attention immediately snaps to you. The large, flaming man looks at you with disinterest, but the officer seems perplexed by you. 

“And who is this supposed to be?” The hero grills Kamui.

“Don’t know, we saw her in the base with the League of Villains,” he answers. “Kid believes she’s a civilian.” 

“Civilian, huh? That’s rich,” the flame hero scoffs. The hero turns his attention to the police officer and gives him an order. “Put the quirk cuffs on her, we’ll process her like any other villain until we have actual evidence saying otherwise.” 

 The police officer looks skeptical and doesn’t make an effort to move. Instead, his eyes narrow at you and he looks at you with vague recognition. The hero takes notice of his hesitance and asks, clearly annoyed, “What’s the hold-up?”

“Endeavor, with all due respect, I don’t believe she is a villain,” the policeman objects. 

“Don’t tell me even you are falling for this ruse,” the hero sneers. “She was surely a part of some plan to trick the student. She probably lied to him and posed as another victim in order to gain his trust.”

“I worked a case a while back. A University student went missing without a trace. She matches the description,” he informs. The hero, who you assume is named Endeavor, remains unconvinced. The officer sighs, and compromises, “Look, we could ask her some questions, and if her answers match, then she’s actually a civilian and telling the truth.” Endeavor seems to think it over, relenting upon seeing the officer’s determined expression. 

“Fine, ask your stupid questions, but she’s going to Tartarus if her answers don’t check out. Mark my words,” Endeavor warns. The officer gives a curt nod and turns to you. 

“What’s your first name?” He opens. 

“Y/n,” you answer. 

“And your quirk?” 

“Healing skin.” 

“Seems like her,” the officer gloats. Endeavor remains skeptical, as is evident with his narrowed eyes and mouth pressed in a scowl.  

Endeavor counters the officer’s claim, “Couldn’t she be pretending to be your missing university student? If it was all over the news-”

“It wasn’t,” the officer interrupts. “So many people go missing in this district that one more hardly makes the news. It’s her, there’s not a doubt in my mind.” 

“What were you doing with the League of Villains?” Endeavor interrogates. He seems incredibly suspicious of you. You suppose you can’t really blame him. Edgeshot assumed you were in cahoots with the league back at the hideout. From an outsider’s perspective, you really did look suspect. Still, you have an opportunity to clear your name. The most you can do is tell your story and hope they believe you.

“Shigaraki knocked me out when I ran into him one night. When I woke up, I realized I had been kidnapped,” you explain. “He liked my quirk and thought I’d be useful. If I didn’t heal the league like he asked, he said he’d disintegrate me.” 

Endeavor lets out an exhausted sigh, before rubbing his temples with one hand. “Take her to HPSC headquarters. The commission is gonna want to hear about this,” he orders the officer. 

Kamui takes this as a sign to unhand you. He finally releases you from his quirk’s hold, much to your relief. The officer speaks into the radio on his suit, updating the situation and requesting a squad car, before leading you away. He escorts you away from the aftermath of the raid, guiding you through the scattered piles of debris, until you arrive at the police car, parked on an intact street with another officer waiting expectantly outside. The additional police officer opens the door to the backseat for you and you climb in, after which she shuts it behind you. Sounds of sirens and yelling are muffled in the car, giving you a momentary respite from all the commotion and the ability to finally process what happened.

You sit in the back of the squad car, contemplating everything that has happened while staring out the window. Just a few hours ago, you were healing the league and even laughing with them. After you realized they kidnapped a kid and then the heroes broke down the wall, everything seemed to just crash down at once. Somehow, you developed a sort of camaraderie with the lot, despite not subscribing to their goals and actively wishing to be away from them. You adapted to it. Life with the league became your new normal. But what will your normal be now? You doubt your life can just rewind back to the way it was before you were kidnapped, not since you escaped the clutches of the league. Speaking of, would they come back for you? Would they punish you for escaping? Would you ever see him again? These are questions you never thought to ask all the times you were fantasizing about fleeing. Now that you’re here, the questions are unavoidable and unfortunately, without answers. 

You’re so lost in your thoughts that you don't care to listen to the officers radioing their superiors. You only process that they started the car when you see the scenery whizzing by. The drive to headquarters is simultaneously overwhelming yet quiet. The officers haven’t spoken a word to you since loading you into the car, leaving you to drown in your own head. 

You thought you’d be happy to see the outside again, but now that you’re here, it’s incredibly overstimulating. The lights are too bright, the buildings are too big, and the radio relaying updates is far too loud. Your hands ball up in your lap, knuckles turning white from your anxious clenching. You worry your time in captivity has ruined you, and the thought only serves to heighten your anxiety. 

The car eventually rolls up to a large building and parks on the curb. One of the officers opens your car door after getting out herself, and you step out and onto the sidewalk. They both lead you into the building, where they freely walk into the lobby, filled with heroes coming and going. The receptionist doesn’t bother to stop the officers, instead giving them a look of recognition and an understanding nod. You all shuffle into an elevator and rise to the top floor. The ascent is silent until the elevator dings and the metal doors slide open. You all step out of the elevator and into a sort of waiting area, where a man with crimson red wings greets the officers. They exchange polite greetings all the while you stand there awkwardly, unsure of what to do in the situation. The pupils in the hero’s yellow eyes seem to narrow to slits when they dart to you, sizing you up with interest. 

“So this must be the little dove found at the hideout,” the feathered hero muses, as he looks at you. 

“You’d be correct,” the officer confirms. “We’re supposed to escort Miss y/n to the Safety Commission President. Would you know where she is around now?” 

“Don’t worry about it, I can take over from here. You two must have a mountain of paperwork after the Kamino raid, ” Hawks offers. They seem to be grateful for this, as you’re handed off to the bird-like hero. The police officers say their thanks before heading back down through the elevators, leaving you alone with yet another new person. 

“The name’s Hawks. Nice to meet you, y/n,” he introduces, rather informally. 

“Y-yeah, likewise,” you stutter, feeling a bit nervous in the company of a new stranger. “Um, Hawks?”

“Hmm?” He hums. 

“Why am I here?”

“You’ve piqued the interest of some very important people,” he explains. You must look worried as he quickly adds, “They just want to know about what happened to you and what you know, that sort of thing.”

“I see…” you reply, voice trailing off. 

You’re led through the halls and into a sort of conference room. Five strangers in formal business wear sit behind a slightly curved desk, arranged in a sort of panel. Hawks ushers you to the center of the room, leaving you to stand in front of them as he posts himself near the door. You’re not sure what is going on. Your palms start sweating from nervousness. It feels like you’re in a courtroom, on trial. One of the five people sitting behind the long table presses a button on what you assume is some sort of audio recording device. The questions feel endless, just one after another, all asking about the LOV. Over time, they seem less suspicious of you and your story, especially after explaining Shigaraki’s initial threats. The meeting, or rather, the interrogation ends with a question about Shigaraki and Dabi. 

“Do you know their real names? We have reason to suspect their current identifiers are just monikers. Nothing is known of their real identities. Anything you know could be useful,” one of them explains. You shake your head. 

“They never revealed their true names and I never cared to ask,” you inform. There’s a look of disappointment on her face before she shuts the recorder off. 

“I see. That’s a shame,” she responds. “As a precautionary measure, we’ve arranged for you to be housed in a safe location, where you will stay until the League of Villains is captured. It’s unlikely they will try to find you given the severe blow the raid inflicted on them, but please, bear with us until then. We appreciate your cooperation.”

The door clicks open and you take that as your cue to leave, eagerly walking out with Hawks trailing behind you. You’re relieved for the process to finally be over. That damn interrogation was anxiety-inducing to say the least. Your apparent discomfort must be noticeable to Hawks, no doubt from your loud sighs, as he places a comforting hand on your shoulder. 

“You alright?” Hawks asks. There’s this small hint of genuine concern in his voice, something you picked up on. From the interactions you’ve had with him, he always seems to have this sort of carefree and upbeat personality. 

“I will be,” you offer. You rub at your eyes, feeling the effects of your hectic day wearing down your energy. “Some sleep would help. I’ll probably feel a bit better in the morning.” 

“I hear ya,” he responds. “Come on, I’ll get you out of here so you can rest, follow me.” He notions to the elevators with a nod of his head in that direction, and proceeds to walk over. Hawks calls for the elevator and you follow him in when the doors open. He tucks his large wings closer to his body, so that they don’t take up as much space. You weren’t able to see he pushed the up button, so when the elevator rises to the roof access, revealing the night sky, you’re more than a little confused.

“I thought you were taking me out of here?” You ask.

“I am,” he responds, almost matter-of-factly. 

“But why are we on the roof?”

“Why walk when you could fly?” 

“Oh hell no,” you refuse. 

“I’m fast, it’ll be over before you know it,” he bargains. “It’s more secure this way anyways. You can’t be followed as easily.” 

“Okay, okay. Fine. Just… don’t drop me,” you relent, understanding his point. 

“I wouldn’t be a very good hero if I let you fall,” he laughs. “You’ll be fine, hold on tight.” 

He scoops you into his arms and you tightly cling to the fabric of his shirt. His wings flap, sending powerful gusts of wind, until you’re both lifted off the ground. The roof grows farther and farther away from you as he ascends into the sky. True to his words, he’s incredibly fast, as the skyscrapers seem to whizz by, almost blurring together. The experience is equal parts nerve-wracking, exhilarating, and freeing. It had been so long since you’d last seen the night sky, and now it feels like you’re seeing it much closer than ever before. Had you not been in the arms of a reliable hero, you’d be more scared-shitless and less naturally wary of this experience. 

He eventually lands on the roof of what looks to be an apartment high-rise. Your legs feel wobbly from the adrenaline when he finally sets you down. You’re thankful he gives you a few moments to recollect yourself, before showing you down a flight of stairs and into a hall of apartment doors. He opens the unlocked door to your provided room and ushers you in. 

“You should be safe here,” he assures. “Most of your neighbors are heroes. You’re in good hands, but just in case, I’ll be checking in every so often.” 

“Thank you, Hawks,” you say, relief clear in your voice. You offer him a grateful smile. 

“Don’t mention it,” he accepts. “Lock the doors and get some rest, you’ve more than earned it after what you went through.” You do as you’re told when he leaves your new apartment, turning the locks and deadbolt. Silence settles upon your new home as you’re left completely alone for the first time all night. The realization feels so foreign to you, as you remember how even at the LOV base, you were never truly left alone. There was always at least someone around you, some pair of eyes and ears attuned to you, preventing your escape. Despite how odd it feels, you press on and find your way to the bedroom. You immediately crawl into bed and fall asleep, still in your clothes, lacking the energy to even think about changing out of them. It’s when the bright light of the morning shines through your windows, waking you up, that you realize all your things were back at the LOV base. 

In the light of the day and now refreshed from sleep, you take the time to explore your new flat. The apartment is neither extremely big or claustrophobically small, instead sitting at a nice medium between the two extremes. It seems mostly fitted with all the necessities. When you look in the closet, you even find there’s already a small selection of neutral clothes, ranging in size. You reason they must keep this place preemptively stocked for cases such as yourself. 

You go about your morning, trying to ignore how odd it feels to be on your own for once. Going through the motions of showering, changing into comfortable clothes, and making breakfast seems to distract you from the feelings. When you’re out of things to add to your routine, you decide to turn on the news to understand what happened last night. The reporter goes over the major events of the hideout raid, most of which are things you already knew, though, both you and the public alike are left in the dark as to what those strange monsters were. Your knee bounces nervously upon just seeing those things again. The reporter then updates the public on what happened to Bakugo. You feel immense relief upon seeing the news reporter happily report that the UA student has been returned unharmed. 

Your doorbell rings, tearing your attention away from the segment. Suspicious, you slowly walk to the door, peering through the peephole. Through the fish-eyed glass, you’re able to see a familiar shock of blonde hair and red wings waiting patiently at your step. You let out a relieved sigh and unlock the door to allow Hawks into your home. 

“Heyo,” he greets. “How’s the new place treating you?” 

“It’s nice, definitely beats staying at the hideout,” you answer. “Say, speaking of, will I be able to get anything back from there?”

“Yeah, about that, I have some bad news,” he starts. Hawks informs you that damage done to the LOV’s base meant that almost all of your belongings were destroyed. Not much was salvageable in the aftermath. Speaking of the aftermath, he warns you that the heroes have been unable to apprehend the league yet. Their current whereabouts are completely unknown. Despite this, Hawks assures you that it was unlikely the LOV should seek you out again, given the rationality that there are other healers out there and they were dealt a huge loss. You suppose it made sense, but you can’t shake the concern. 

“So what does this all mean for me?” You ask. 

“Well, until they’re found, you’ll have to stay here,” he explains. 

“I guess that’s not so bad,” you accept. “This place is much closer to (campus/work) so my walk won’t be as bad.” He grimaces at your comment, clearly knowing something you don’t.

“No, you literally have to stay here. Unless it’s an emergency, you can’t leave. I’ll be dropping by to check in on you every few days though, so you won’t be completely alone, at least,” he clarifies. Your face drops at the information.

 “Oh! Before I forget,” he adds, seemingly remembering something. He pulls a phone from his jacket pocket, one that looks extremely familiar. “I also managed to grab your phone from the evidence locker. The police took it from the scene of your disappearance. You can call your family or friends, let them know you’re alive. I’m sure they’ve been worried about you.” You accept your phone from his hand. Although your phone is dead, you’re sure there’ll be a million calls on your lock screen once it’s turned on.

“Yeah, I’m sure they have,” you agree, a bit solemnly.

“Just… don’t tell them where you are. It’d defeat the whole purpose of hiding you from the league, you know?” You nod, accepting those terms. It’s ironic, you think, how you were supposedly freed, yet you were not granted freedom. You were still locked away, prevented from leaving. Yes, you understood the rationale behind it, but that didn’t mean it erased the fact the situation felt eerily familiar. 

Hawks would do regular check-ins. First a couple times a day, then once a day, until slowing down to every two days. When he had the time, he’d stay a little longer to talk and the two of you would hang out in your living room. You got to know the now number two hero fairly well from all those moments. The two of you mostly made small talk, though there were some moments in which you two seemed to genuinely laugh at some stupid joke or share the same opinions on a controversial topic. Sometimes, he’d ask about what your life in the league was like. You were (mostly) honest with him about it, telling him stories about your interactions with everyone. It was a bit fun to see his eyes widen in shock when you recounted some of the things you said to Shigaraki. He seemed a bit aghast to know you made such snarky comments and survived to tell the tale. But, you always were careful to conveniently leave out the details about Dabi. You weren’t sure what he, and the HPSC, would do if they heard you nearly made out with a wanted villain. Some things were better left unsaid.

 When you weren’t accompanied by Hawks in your home, you’d spend your time distracting yourself rather than unpacking what happened. Without a therapist, you’d get nowhere. You’d rather bide your time rather than spiral into blaming yourself or justifying the league. You fear it has already begun with your cynicism towards the HPSC, which is why you desperately wish to talk to someone you can trust. Not only that, but your dreams were often about Dabi. Despite what he had done, you seem to still hold a fondness for him. You still desired him. These dreams confused you to no end, but you were never able to rationalize them. It was frustrating, to be locked away, supposedly in safety, but not even granted the ability to talk to a professional about what happened to you. The HPSC claimed due to the high-profile nature of this case, you’d have to wait until the LOV was in custody before you could begin your visits. They seemed to defend their actions by claiming a therapist leaking your case would draw attention to their investigation and endanger you by confirming where you are. Not only that, but they said the risk of Twice’s clones or Toga infiltrating your appointments was too high to justify. 

Over time, the weeks of isolation slowly turned into a few months, the passage of time aided by endless distractions. You were starting to get in the swing of things. Being alone no longer felt as foreign, it was becoming natural again. Unfortunately, your whole routine was about to be disrupted. Unbeknownst to you, miles away in Deika City, Shigaraki begins plotting something. A plan to shake up the confidence of the hero commission, starting with you.  

“The heroes took something from me. I need to teach them a lesson in stealing what is mine,” Shigaraki states to his lieutenants in the PLF army. “It’s time to return our healer.” And with his command, the plans are set in motion. 

Hours later and back to your place, you hear a knock on your door. Figuring it must be Hawks, you shout from your kitchen, “Hold on, I’m coming!” You make your way to the foyer, not bothering to look through the peephole and  open the door. Instead of meeting with Hawks, there’s another hero at your doorstep. 

“You’re not who I was expecting,” you say, a bit suspiciously. “Normally someone else checks in on me, has this changed?”

“Oh, just for today. I’m just filling in. You know how busy us heroes are!” He answers. 

“R-right, I suppose the hero lifestyle can get hectic,” You mumble. You still can’t shake your suspicion.

 “H-hey, do you mind showing me your quirk? It’s part of the protocol, you know, to make sure there’s no imposters,” you lie. 

“Oh, my bad! I must have missed that part of the report,” the hero apologizes. He buys your lie, which seems a bit suspect, but he shows you his quirk nonetheless. “Slidin’ Go, signature slide!” He slides on the floor, without resistance. Pretty useless quirk, in your opinion, but given how he can still use it, he’s not Toga. You doubt Twice could have obtained all the measurements of a hero that’s not declared missing, so there’s no concern in your mind it’s a clone. Relief washes over you and you wonder why you were so jumpy in the first place.

 It’s safe. 

You’re safe. 

Everything is okay.

“You mind letting me in? Just need to do a check around, make sure you’re actually alone and all,” he requests. You suppose that’s what Hawks has been doing when he hangs over. It makes sense, but it stings to know the social contact you had was all due to a protocol. 

“Oh, right, sorry. Come on in,” you agree. You open the door and allow him to enter inside. He looks around your apartment, walking from the entryway down the hall until he stops at your living room. Your (tea kettle/coffee maker) sounds off from your kitchen. The suddenness startles you momentarily. You shut the door behind you and pad past him down the hall. “Sorry, I was in the middle of making (tea/coffee). Just one moment,” you excuse, awkwardly. 

“No worries, take your time. I’ll be in the living room while you do that!” He cheerily dismisses. You offer him a polite nod before trotting off to your kitchen, pouring your drink into a mug and carrying it with you. 

When you return to the living room, you realize he’s nowhere to be seen. Concerning, but not enough to make you panic. What does make you start sweating is seeing puddles of a gray, clay-like substance on the carpet. Your stomach instantly drops, and your mug slips out of your hands, further sullying the carpet. You remember that conversation between Toga and Muscular, how Toga’s quirk leaves behind pale silt. 

FUCK.

Since when could Toga use other quirks?!

You’re about to bolt for the door to attempt to run away when you feel arms gripping your waist. You look down and see no other than Toga. 

‘Holy shit, she’s gotten so much stronger,’ you think, the realization stirring up a panic in you. You try to wriggle out of her grasp, but she just doesn’t budge. She quickly snakes one arm to the collar of her shirt and speaks into it. 

“Mission accomplished!” She announces, to whom, you’re not quite sure. You’re not left with time to think about it, as you feel an odd sensation rise up your throat. Black sludge pours out of your mouth, enveloping you entirely in darkness. The sensation is nothing short of gross and uncomfortable. You’re thankful it doesn’t last for long, but when your lungs finally clear of the substance, you realize you’ve been transported somewhere completely unfamiliar to you. 

“Looks like Toga managed to pull it off after all,” you hear a familiar, smoky voice drawl. The recognition is instant. Your body freezes and your eyes trail over to the source. You lock eyes with none other than Dabi. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it, y/n?” 

Your mouth feels dry, but you speak anyway. “It has.”

[merriclo]

y’all know how i made a joke abt how i shouldn’t make a linkverse based off of how i play each game? well. i’m having thoughts so here’s how i think each link would be based off of how i played their games:

warning i have not played every zelda game (or completed any aside from botw at this point) so these are just the ones that i actually have my hands on or have watched several play throughs of

Skyward Sword:

DUDE IS PISSED. THE ENTIRE TIME.

very much a reluctant hero at the start

“i’m not gonna find ur fuckin kikwi— fuck ok fine whatever ur lucky fi is on ur side.”

he does want to help and he likes doing side quests, but he was just so worried about Zelda that he became irritated and just wanted to get on with it

has no rupees ever definitely not because of impulse spending how dare u even imply such a thing

violently in love with Zelda

in the scene in the beginning where he realized Groose locked up his bird, he was livid. if Zelda didn’t step in he would’ve thrown hands

actually such a bafoon he is so confused

horrified of spiders. he just about sobbed the moment he saw the big ones in the skyward temple

loves his birdie so much. they are besties beyond comprehension. they talk shit.

so so bad with directions. dude is lost constantly.

has a lot of emotional maturity but still struggles with bursts of frustration, especially when confused

felt so guilty for knocking down the chandelier in the Lumpy Pumpkin

Ocarina of Time/Majora’s Mask:

very confused very often

he tries his very hardest but still needs help

“……..” “link. link do u n—“ “no no i’ve got it i know what to do” “……” “ok fine navi what do i do” “throw bombs in the eyes” “FUCK”

that being said he gets so happy every time he figures it out himself it’s great

first time he saw a peahat he just about sobbed

“NAVI. NAVI WHAT THE HELL IS THA— OH HYLIA ITS MOVING ITS MOVING ITS MOVING NO”

ready to slap Mido at any time

will sit and listen to malon sing for hours

very self conscious and doubtful that he has what it takes to be the hero. after Majora’s Mask he’d be more confident in his abilities but still scared he’s not as skilled or smart as the other Links

the biggest worrier. he does everything out of fear of other people getting hurt

if i do a whole linkverse thing i’d want him to be in the awkward teenage stage and attempt to be a big brother figure to the younger ones, but be awkward abt it and fumble a lot

fucking hates bowling

i have so many thoughts about what happened during Hyrule Warriors. so fucking many.

Wind Waker:

so fuckin lonely. dude is on the seas constantly with only a boat to talk to. he is so alone.

Aryll is his number 1 bestie and he really struggled with being without her lively presence at first

medley and him are also really good friends !! he thinks she’s so neat and just. nice

thinks Tetra is literally so cool. the coolest. she’s so cool no he definitely doesn’t have a crush on her what are you taking abt

thought the barrel was the funniest shit ever and always giggles at the memory of it

got so annoyed when the king tried to parent or guide him at all. excuse you big man let him travel the oceans. don’t stop him from sailing at that point. let him be free.

that being said li’l guy Roams. he got to places he didn’t have the proper equipment for way too early and only got the proper equipment because he realized that it could help solve that puzzle or something

so into the side quests. he loved going about and helping people at every turn, it reminded him of going about the village and helping his neighbors

that being said the joy pendents were like pulling teeth. he did it just because he like things to be complete, but it sucked. he was so annoyed the entire time.

loves the koroks so much they’re wonderful

if i actually end up doing the linkverse i think he’d be about 15, maybe 14, but unlike oot and mm link he already went through his shithead stage and has practice with being a big brother

definitely doesn’t hum sea shanties to himself when he thinks he’s alone. definitely not. never.

Tri-Force Heroes:

in my head tfh link is the same as albw link so. =)

mostly used dopples

DUDE IS FILLED WITH ANXIETY

he’s very quick to react and is very aware of his surroundings, but struggles with focusing or honing in on any one element

very good at solving the puzzles

the combat, however? not so much. the totem system was really something to get used to and he prefers not to fight with it. using it to get to places is no big deal (though annoying at times) but the fighting is just plain aggravating

super fashion forward (obviously)

he LOVES Madame Couture and her apprentice, and has a soft spot for all of the townsfolk

he became to attached to townsfolk so quickly actually. like he loves the people of Hytopia so much.

his self esteem was put through the goddamn ringer and he has a lot of self worth issues because of it yes i was personally insulted by the mass amount of bear sweater insults. it was a cute sweater fuck off

that being said he covers it up with an egotistical front, taking on aspects of Madame Couture’s personality in an attempt to be more accepted in Hytopia

he’s still a total diva btw. don’t let the self esteem issues fool you he knows he looks good now

he’s also probably one of the nicer Links, even if he might slip up and call ur gloves tacky on accident every once in a while

if he tries to help someone outfit wise it’s just because he really cares and wants them to be respected, not because he thinks he’s better than them

gets frustrated really easily and quits what he’s doing only to come back ten minutes later and try again

emotions wise he’s sort of all over the place, very theatrical (both because of Ravio and all of Hytopia)

Hytopia made him realize he wasn’t cis or straight. he doesn’t know if he wants to be with Madame Couture’s apprentice or Princess Styla, or if he wants to be them.

yes princess styla was part of my gay awakening leave me alone

if i do go through with this i’d def want to explore this link’s dynamic with both Ravio and botw link. ravio because the constant praises would be such a contrast to the critiquing of Hytopia, and botw link because gender

Cadence of Hyrule:

k i’m not gonna lie i don’t know this one too well But i really wanted to include it. idc if it’s not canon. fuck you.

LITTLE BARD BOY. BABY.

gets so upset with himself when he misses a beat. like unreasonably so.

hums a lot !!

in the linkverse i like the idea of him being like 10 and adoring oot/mm link because of the ocarina. despite how much he fumbles, i think coh link would love him and think he’s so cool. imagine a little kid admiring their older sibling even if the older sib is lame as hell

k that’s it for coh link lmao sorry it’s so short. i love him i do i’m just new to the game

Breath of The Wild:

dlc is canon idc what nintendo says. the zelda encyclopedia said the timeline is up to my imagination and i’m imagining very intently.

relatively calm and peaceful aside from the bursts of extreme anxiety and sadness

will sit for hours and listen to Kass

rlly wants to be great pals with Sidon (and they are, to an extent) but gets a little overwhelmed by all of the compliments and praise

he will fight anyone who insults him though (looking at you, traveler who called him creepy. fuck you.)

literally just wants to be some guy, and to an extent he is (to the townspeople at least). he’s just some rlly skilled fighter who likes to cook and is kind of quiet and odd to them. but hey he’s really helpful and is always looking for something to do

loves Kakariko village!! he’s basically Cottla and Koko’s older sibling and is trying to get Paya to be more relaxed.

speaking of Paya, their dynamic is a bit weird? there’s definitely something there, but at that moment neither of them are ready for any kind of relationship

loves the great fairies, thinks they’re so pretty and nice we’re ignoring the weird cutscenes. i hate them.

the one hit obliterator quest was a one of the most anxiety inducing things in his life and he hated it. as soon as it was over they just laid facedown in the dirt for a while

is a horse girl

Teba became their father figure but neither of them will ever admit that

head over heals for his Zelda. thinks she’s so sweet and smart and just wants to make sure she’s okay

while Gerudo Town was definitely the place he realized he wasn’t cis, he always had the thought in the back of their mind, and even though Bozai really creeped him out, that’s what solidified the non-cis realization

i love the genderfluid botw link headcanon can u tell

loves all of the champion’s descendants so much. they visit them whenever they’re in town.

feels so guilty about burning things. like yes he can and will do it but he’ll be upset about it. he tries to protect the environment ok?

koroks 🤝 botw link

pondering the idea of him being kind of non human and a little magic because of the Sheika tub. if so he’d be even closer with the koroks because they have some connection to sheika magic i think (korok seeds = inventory expansion and all that stuff)

LOVES PURAH. THEY’RE BESTIES. they have dinner together and link’s her lil test subject <3

he needs his map. he is lost without it. he’ll happily be lost don’t get me wrong but he will take 10 extra hours to get somewhere

oh also ADHD incarnate. cannot stay focused for shit.

if i actually do this they’d be besties with tfh link. fashion and genderqueer buddies.

OKAY SO THATS IT FOR NOW !! special thank you to @astral-catastrophe for encouraging me to do this, it’s actually so fun to think about !

ignore how halfway through i actually started developing characters and then got tired and stopped. shh. don’t worry abt that.

[quirkwizard]

I don’t know if you do this, but could you do an expansion on Clones? It’s one of my favorite Quirks and I wanted to see what else it could do.

So I know Ectoplasm can create 30 clones or 1 giant clone, but is it absolute? What about 5 smaller giants? Or 15 clones that are just a bit larger than Ecto?

Any ideas for super moves, equipment, training, and an evolution for the quirk Clones from Ectoplasm?

I would be more then happy to expand on canon Quirks, especially something like "Clones", as it is a Quirk I like and think has a lot of potential.

So we know that “Clones” lets Ectoplasm make copies of himself from a goo he produces. He has a special link to his clones that let’s him sense everything they do and have perfect control over them, acting like a hive mind with the main body. They are similar physically, but are not as durable and cannot make more copies. He can make up to thirty clones at once, thirty six on his good days, as well as grow larger versions of himself from the goo. With those facts in mind, here are some of the new ways I think could be used.

-The most obvious point would be the utility the clones could offer. You could basically send to any tasks and they would do it, no matter how stupid or pointless it may be, which would be a major boon. He may even be able use the clones to rapidly practice and learn new skills. Just have them off somewhere studying or practicing other materials and he could start taking in the information with his multi tasking abilities.

-On that note, there is the amount of tactical advantages that would come from having clones. You could move the clones however you want without any lag or confusion, like having them jump in front of people or grab someone for a combo. It would work even better if Ectoplasm himself was physically adept or had a lot of marital training. Just imagine having to deal with thirty six Aizawas all coming at you at the same time.

-We don’t know if Ectoplasm can replicate everything on his person, but if he can, he could easily outfit an entire force if he wanted. He could arm himself to the teeth and suddenly get a group of perfectly coordinated soldiers with any weapons and armor he has on him. And if he needs clones with certain equipment, he could just wear it as he makes them, such as some nigh vision goggles for a clone meant for scouting in the dark.

-There are his giant forms. We saw him make a giant head with all of his goo, but he could make a massive version of any part of his body if he wanted, like a giant set of arms to battle larger foes or a massive eye to look over an area, kind of like Nico Robin and how she uses her cloning power. He could scale this down as well, like only having five larger versions of himself for some extra bulk against tougher opponents.

-If he can make giant clones, he may be able to make smaller clones as well, like a force of dozens upon dozens of hand sized versions of himself. This could let him play off his extend sensory abilities, essentially have a small set of eyes and ears to get him information whenever he wants and letting them sneak around. He could even leave some with allies to subtly communication information the clones have picked up.

-You could push it even further and have him custom make clones of himself. For example, he could pack the goo into a single, regular sized clone that’s downright superhuman. Then there could be him mixing and matching parts together, like giving a clone extra arms for combat, or to make these bizarre, monstrous versions of himself for fear tactics. Which may not be the best thing for Ectoplasm to see, but hey, as long as it works.

[anxiously-sidequesting]

Hiiii

I'm curious what you think about Pirate101 - specifically, if you think there's a distinction between "young pirate" and "young wizard".

In both games the protag is referred to as "young" by lots of characters, but in Pirate this was already old enough to be (infamously) arrested for brawling/smuggling/treason/dueling/hoodoo, as well as lead their own crew. Personally that feels like an indication that being called "young" doesn't make them a kid, or at the very least it feels very older teenager/young adult-ish. In a similar vein, I feel like the wizard wouldn't be elementary school age or anything (although no matter how old they are they're still under-equipped to be saving the world but that's not really the point).

I hope I don't offend you, and you're free to headcanon what you like of course, since they will never have a canon age so to speak. But personally given that context I just can't see the wizard protagonist being as young as everybody says that makes what they're being put through so much worse.

HIIII THANK YOU FOR THE ASK and please don't be afraid of offending me!!! Literally the only way to do that is to break into my house and kill my family so you're good 💖

So first thing's first my first answer will disappoint you because I don't play Pirate101 and so I know fuck all about it HALANDIEKE I get the general gist of the tutorial (i played through that) and everything but I could not tell you anything about what I think about how the YP interacts with people or how they feel or what the general vibe is because I dont know that. Like at all. Feel free to send me stuff about canon I'd love to read it and form my own opinions 💖

As for the ambiguous age of the wizard yeah it can be confusing. Because since the game is primarily designed to have the protagonist be You instead of any set character there's no consistency as to what the canon age of the wizard is. It really just all depends on what you WANT the Wizard's age to be; whether that's your age when you started, your current age, a separate age for a separate OC, etc. Like you said other than the prefix "Young" we really have no idea just how "young" young really is

So yeah I've heard that the Pirate is arrested for crimes and is in jail, and you're right it's hard to imagine someone like 5-11 being in jail for organized resistance of the Armada. And like, in my opinion, that's only because a little child would most unlikely have that intelligence or be cognizant enough to do things like that. So yeah a teen or young adult would work better in my opinion

But like here's the thing, and this is my personal opinion - I don't consider P101 and W101 protagonists to be parallels. Like just because the P101 protagonist may be in the adolescent stage doesn't mean the W101 protag couldn't be any younger, or older.

Especially since there's a difference between the canon protags already. While the Pirate was canonically organizing and participating in the resistance by themselves or with a skilled team, the Wizard was just all of a sudden poofed there. The Pirate has prior training and homeland advantage. The Wizard does not.

I don't really like comparing traumatic experiences between people personally (even though these charas are fictional) but I feel like. Subjecting someone to a war when they've had war experiences vs. someone who has never been in a war before/has no idea how to practice magic is a HUUUGE difference. Not like the former isn't bad by itself but yeah. The Wizard came from Earth, INVOLUNTARILY, and without their permission is thrust immediately into a bad and dangerous situation with no prior experience, training, or preparation. It seems like the Pirate, to me, chose willingly to fight in the Resistance and knows how to defend themselves. There is a huge difference there

And whether or not you headcanon the Wizard to be a child or not I do half agree with you that subjecting such a young person, OR ANYBODY for that matter, into a situation as dangerous as war is a terrible thing to do I get it. But, and this may be unpopular, I'd have a bit more sympathy and alarm for someone who was forced/pressured into it, someone who was unprepared, rather than someone who was already used to it, training for it, organizing plans for it.

So yeah regardless of age, there's a huge difference between both canon protags of both games. I personally feel what the Wizard has to deal with is much worse. Their only "support" system to start out with is a complete stranger who (in post-update) gives them no choice, decides their fate FOR them, and expects them to HURRY UP about it. The Pirate AT LEAST has a crew and other people who literally care about them and back then up and fight WITH them. The Wizard starts out with no one by their side.

So yeah that's just my personal opinion. And this isn't to like bash anyone on the head who thinks any different or has a different story than canon at all 💖💖💖 this is just how I feel. BUT THANK YOU FOR THE ASK IT WAS A VERY COOL ONE TO ANSWER!!!!

[andydrarch]

One: oh shit flight rising

Two: thinking abt Yumie/ko being very worried about being a bad parent because we all know she had a bad time and she doesn't want to carry that forward

Flight rising!!! Not as active as I used to be but I swing by once in a while lol

Read more-ing bc I’m gonna pop off a lil

I ABSOLUTELY think they worry about being a bad parent A LOT. Yumiko’s biggest concern is more in the knowledge area, she’s like convinced she’ll do something on accident and cause her kid to develop a disorder like her. Or she’s worried that the switching between her and Yumie will be too confusing for a kid and cause some sort of trauma.

Yumie on the other hand is like, CONVINCED that by default she’d be a shitty parent. She’s not nurturing, and even though she does have people she loves, she doesn’t believe she has any of the skills necessary to be a mom. In like, this hypothetical parenthood scenario, I think Yumie would be trying to preemptively distance herself from it for a while, classify it as a Yumiko and Heinkel thing and leave it at that, because she can’t fuck up a kid she doesn’t help with.

In the end when they actually have a kid, they both realize that they’re a little more equipped the handle it than originally anticipated. Yumie esp, upon seeing her kid for the first time, would go full on protective instincts and realize that oh yeah, THAT’S how she shows affection. Yumiko would also read like 50 billion parenting books and just end up super overwhelmed only to have everything click pretty fast once things start

Heinkel I also think would have some concerns about being a good parent. But, I also think she has enough combined experience of helping at the orphanage and having such a good parental role model in Anderson to feel okay about how she would handle things. Obv Yumi had those experiences too, but I think as people, Yumiko gets much more nervous about things she hasn’t 100% experienced than Heinkel. i.e the difference between assisting with raising kids and having the sole responsibility of raising a kid

In the end, I think the three of them would be very devoted to giving a kid the loving, stable family they wished they had growing up, and that’s really the most important trait to have!

[catgirltoofies]

one thing about me is that i simultaneously love and hate when something in a game is completely obscured to the point where nobody really knows what's going on

I'll give two examples: ni no kuni 2 and dwarf fortress.

in ni no kuni 2, one of the major battle mechanics is the little helper army known as higgledies. higgledies are little nature spirits that can help you out in battle. you can have up to four higgledy heroes, as they're called, that will fight alongside you. how, exactly? good question!

we know a few ways. first, and most obviously, they will sometimes create rings on the ground that you can activate that will activate a higgledy skill; these are major effects like summoning a cannon or a healing aura. higgledy skills are extremely useful, but not required to win fights most of the time. second, you can absorb them to improve your skills: heroes summon followers, you can absorb followers. generally, 4 followers of a particular element will upgrade a skill to the next level. unfortunately, due to how fast-paced combat tends to be, this usage isn't particularly useful in many cases. third, they give passive benefits when you're awakened through a gold glim. and finally, they have basic attacks where they throw little spear things and do barely any damage.

this is all well and good, and seems pretty conclusive, but actually nobody really is super familiar with how things are under the hood. higgledy followers regenerate, but do they come on a timer or is it based on damage dealt? some higgledies have effects where they come back faster if they get attacked with their element. others just "automatically increase in battle" (literal quote from the tick, tock! skill). they have personalities, which do... something. tove the tenebrous is outgoing. i think that means he prefers to attack. tureen is careful, which probably means she stays closer to the player character. runcible is shy. not sure what that does. i can't find any information online about any of this. only people claiming that the ones which summon higgledy god and copy other higgledies are the best ones.

on the other hand, we have dwarf fortress, which is quite well known for its... depth, shall we say. combat is extremely complicated and not well understood, largely because it has some level of logic to it that the layperson can kind of parse but is easily confused.

to extremely oversimplify, dwarf fortress combat is mostly affected by material properties and momentum. momentum is partially affected by material properties. when a dwarf swings a hammer, every swing will be different depending on the dwarf, the hammer, and a million tiny variables, but mostly dependent on the dwarf and the hammer. a strong dwarf will swing a hammer faster, but won't be able to swing it as fast if it's too heavy. there are tons of mods for dwarf fortress that allow you to use non-standard metals for military purposes (tangent: military metals include copper, bronze, silver, iron, steel, and the fictional ones). a common assumption is that lead would make a great material for a hammer, because it's heavy.

while it is true that a lead hammer is heavier than an iron hammer, the lead hammer is also softer. in technical terms, lead has a lower impact yield, lower impact fracture, and higher impact strain-at-yield values: it can't hit as hard, and is more likely to bend. this is why lead armor would suck. it's too soft and wouldn't offer very good protection, against either impacts or cuts.

the primary difference here is that dwarf fortress actually gives us the raw numbers. we have some vague idea of which numbers are important, but we don't actually know specifically how every number is used. someone discovered a few formulae years ago, and they're probably still accurate, but there are a lot of numbers that go into it, and a lot of variables. for the layperson, combat is understood well enough to know what you should equip your dwarves with (fictional if you can, then steel, then iron, then bronze, then copper. silver is about equal to iron if used as a blunt weapon, but otherwise isn't useful for melee combat. makes pretty good bolts, though), but it doesn't quite scratch the itch that makes me want to understand. and until adventure mode comes out with arena possession i can't do any kind of investigation without finding an older version.

[kazumasougi]

so what’s your verdict on ragnarok? i saw some people say that it was good but not as good as the first game so i’m curious to know what you think. going to play it this summer 😎

okok this might get long so here’s the non-spoilery short of it: i really loved playing through ragnarok but i do agree that i liked 2018 more! I’ll put the significantly longer portion under the cut and ill do my best not to spoil any main story portions while talking about it lol

ragnarok definitely lets you explore far far more. i think theres a couple of places where you can tell they didnt want to drag the story out so they cut stuff for time but i personally feel like the game could’ve very well used that. and i think the fact that 2018 is like a good number of hours longer than ragnarok makes it a little bit surprising when you get to the endpoint.

also unlike 2018— though this matters less to me— there are parts of the game that you can only actually finish once youre done with the main story. it has a few epilogue pieces which are definitely a nice send-off for the game and you can explore just a little bit more, but if im honest it feels a bit empty..? though im not done with postgame so when i get there ill probably post abt it more 😼

storywise i feel like there’s some things that could definitely have improved or been changed in some way… i absolutely loved the new dynamics between old characters and getting to see how theyve grown with each other since 2018. its super heartwarming to me. but some parts really did feel rushed and while the ending was good some parts just felt kind of… abrupt??? i’d love to know how they would have refined the story with just a bit more time because personally it feels like theres still a loose end or two that hasnt been addressed. that said its by no means a BAD story— i really liked going through it! the best way i can think to put it is that it’s an emotional rollercoaster from start to finish.

in terms of MECHANICS… i’ll be completely honest some of them were so incredibly frustrating that id considered giving up on some of the fun side stuff they encourage you to do (like nornir chests and whatever else may have you). even some parts of the main quest were a little bit confusing to me…?? at some points there are puzzles that aren’t super straightforward and it got a little tiring to play guess and check. that said there aren’t a lot of them, but it definitely left me a little bit annoyed during gameplay. i should mention though for some of the mechanics in question they DO have a crazy good range of accessibility settings that help you more clearly see things like interact-able objects and targets etc. so making use of those definitely lessened the annoyance for me personally lol. that said it does not work for all of them and if you Want to go collecting extras then you might have to sit there frustrated a few times before it works out 🥲

one more thing i should probably mention in regards to game mechanics is the skill trees… i’ll keep this explanation light as to avoid heavy spoilers but essentially they give you a LOT of skills to upgrade with XP. and i mean a lot. i have not used even half of them they do nothing for me 💀 i would guess this is their way of letting you do more with XP since in 2018 you rack it up faster than you can spend it but there are so many in ragnarok. and if im honest it feels like a lot of them are kind of … useless in combat. or at least very very situational. they do give you the chance to upgrade skills you use the most which i really like but i find it kind of weird how many of them are reliant on hyperspecific situations while also costing a significant amount when you unlock them.

OH. and also. i kind of wish the companion armor had some sort of effect…???? like in 2018 i loved atreus’ healthstone effect because it suited my playstyle. but all companion armor is purely cosmetic. they seem to have replaced that with accessories you can equip them with that have different effects but i also didnt really feel much of a difference with them until postgame 😿 an edge ragnarok has on 2018 though is definitely that you can customize what your armor looks like while taking the stats of another. which is awesome because im tired of making him look like hes wearing a sweater vest at a holiday gathering. ill admit though the menuing is a little bit more confusing lol

ANYWAY. to finish this off i feel like i loved a lot about ragnarok but after having seen what they did in 2018 i feel like they probably couldve pushed it a bit more. that said the story is absolutely crazy and i loooove certain routes they went with it so it definitelys worth playing imo. i just wouldnt expect it to be just like the first game 👍 there are some major changes i havent listed because i think seeing them for yourself will be awesome

[felonious]

My mind is swirling with thoughts. I woke up too early. But I went to sleep too early. So when I wake up early (2am) I will maybe stream a movie and I was trying to stream a movie and it kept stopping saying no internet signal. So I check my connection and it’s on and I try again and it streams a minute and stops, and I check and I have a connection so I check the speed of my connection and it’s down. I live rural and internet is always an issue in the country but..and I’ve been patient. It’s a constant thing with this company. And the tech support never supports. It just tries to bump me up to the next more expensive package. But the package I pay for promises a certain speed. And they aren’t providing me with it. Why the fuck would I give them more money when they don’t even give me what I already pay for? It’s a small company started by local people which makes it really hard to call them up and scream. But this morning after 2 hours of fucking with streaming a movie I lost it and I sent them an email and I told them not to bother with passing it to their inept tech dept. the tech guy is the son of one of the owners. He started at the start of COVID. Maybe he had to leave a job and his mummy gave him one and he really doesn’t know how to do it. I don’t know if any one of them knows what they are doing. I left hughesnet for this. Sometimes I think I should have stuck with hughesnet. They offered me a low low price of 30/mo to stay. But the good thing about the smaller company is that they openly let customers know that there was a federal program to help with low income families to help with internet costs and I am a recipient of that program so I pay 10+tax a month instead of 40+tax a month, and if hughesnet has the same deal, I doubt they actually send you a letter about it. A lot of benefits are hidden so that people in need has to do their research. It’s an acquired skill, and it takes some work, and not everybody is equipped to do that so I appreciate them for that. And now I feel a bit of a shit heel for that email, should I send a bit of gratitude their way? Apologize? Nah, srsly, not being able to stream a movie in SD at 4am is just not acceptable. I really don’t ask for much.

But then another company I do business with is Blick for art supplies and I recently ordered a box easel which is a box and has easel built in so when the lid is up it’ll support a canvas or whatever and also carry art supplies and comes with palette and I wanted this for going outside where I cleared a place yesterday with the help of a hired hand. In the middle of a group of trees we cleared branches. As we were working I was saying how great a little spot it would be to have a picnic, just put out a blanket and an ice chest of food and drink and hang out there for an hour or two when it isn’t windy and if it doesn’t get swarming with ants and a harbor to the no see ’ems and mosquitoes. But that box, yeah it arrived and a part on it had broken off and sadly it was a glued on piece so I sent them a picture and asked them how they could help and they gave me a choice of a 30%discount or send me a replacement. I’m not a cabinet maker. I don’t have the right clamps for repairing it. I don’t even have wood glue. I didn’t want a discount, I just wanted a working box but I was feeling stressed that I would have to send back the broken box. So they told me to throw the broken box away and they’ll send a replacement. Wow. What a relief. Of course I’ll keep the broken box and donate it to the old school gallery for the kids’ art table at the Ramah farmers’ market that I facilitate. Maybe somebody passing by will be somebody with clever clamps and offer to fix the box so that the kids can use the easel too.

It’s warming up so it’s time to watch out for rattlesnakes. They’ll be stirring and feeling peckish. They like my place. Rocks, and woodpiles and plenty of food. What I need to add to my eco system is a confusion of Guinea fowl.

[inravel]

Let me tell you, children are the hope for the future.

rant incoming

You could say I conducted a little experiment where I would use gender-conscious German especially when talking with children.

Tell me why my 4 year old nephew who was just learning to speak used gender-conscious speech without a second thought while politicians have been discussing it for several years like it's some unsolvable conflict of interests.

You don't have to tell me why because I already know it has a ton to do with laziness and indifference. And maybe the fast-paced chew-out nature of public and political discourse. No one ever takes their time anymore because the current media demands big statements instead of carefully articulated essays. And for people outside the public eye it's really just a matter of training and changing our deeply ingrained behaviour. Which some people might simply reject because changing your ways means your previous ways were not perfect and that is an offense to anyone's ego.

And that's where children and teenagers and young adults are so much better equipped than 'adults'.

Actually let me also reference this post opening a debate on what being an adult means and whether or not behaviour 'reminiscing adolescence' should be accepted when growing old. And it's pretty black and white and basically assumes that any childlike trait is detrimental to a functioning and free (as opposed to fascist) society.

This is my personal opinion but the behaviours displayed by adult politicians across the world seem more typically childish than any child's. We don't need stubborn and close-minded defenses of political positions but critically curated solutions to problems. We don't need ideologists clinging to ideas of collecting land and resources as trophies and destroying everything to get their way. What they call strategic thinking is mostly just curating tricks to fool the opponent or build trust or mistrust.

Adulting can't just equal doing finances, building persona and ego, developing political stances or devoting time and energy to 'things that don't bring immediate pleasure'

I understand adulting as having empathy for people that are not you, as showing respect despite one's differences, taking responsibility for the earth and all it's inhabitants, as putting your ego down and accepting when you are wrong.

There are many more examples but I hope you get the point. Let's go beyond the child/adult - powerless/powerful - dichotomy and see what we can learn from each other. Because I certainly learn a lot more life skills from four year olds than from business executives.

I see so much more of an adult in my three year old niece showing off her vaccine spot and suggesting we shouldn't meet someone when they're sick than I see in people throwing covid parties and rejecting to wear a mask.

Or in all the 30+ self-declared 'soft beans' devoting their time to art and human connection and earning money righteously instead of suppressing and exploiting others.

We seem to confuse certain life stages with typical traits and then put labels on certain behaviours or styling choices. I think that serves nothing except to reinforce heteronormative and misogynistic - yang - ideals of being as powerful and steadfast as you can.

I'd love to know what you think 💬

Also I didn't proof read so let me know about any mistakes

Have a good day!

getting misgendered by adults but universally correctly gendered by children makes me feel like some sort of fairy creature thats true form is only perceptible to children

[jwgh]

The Rogue Healer

Yesterday, I played a one-shot D&D 5e campaign, and a few people were intrigued by my rogue/healer build. Here’s how I set it up.

Most D&D play focuses on magical healing, but the rules do also have various ways to heal non-magically, and those other types of healing are key to this sort of character – though access to some sort of healing magic is also quite useful, whether through multiclassing, or a magic item, or a feat.

In practice, I found this character a lot of fun to play!  In combat, a rogue healer’s healing options are pretty limited, and are mostly focussed on getting people back on their feet, saving more substantial healing for after combat. But that’s actually kind of what you want out of a healer 90% of the time, and the usual rogue combat options are also quite nice. So, while ”The jack of all trades is a master of none” rule definitely applies to this type of character, there is some added versatility here which can be helpful, whether in combat or out of it.

Here’s a link to the character sheet of the rogue healer I used yesterday.

The Basics

As a rogue, high dexterity is key, but, as you will likely also be casting cleric spells (even if you don’t multiclass as cleric), you will also want a decent wisdom score. Both must be at least 13 if you’re going to multiclass.

Take proficiency in medicine. If you’re at a level where you can get expertise in it (which doubles your proficiency bonus for that skill), then do that too. If you’re interested in the veterinary arts as well, then animal handling is also a good pick.

Especially for low-level characters, I recommend at least one level of cleric. Pick the ‘Life’ domain, which among other things gives you:

Whenever you use a spell of 1st level or higher to restore hit points to a creature, the creature regains additional hit points equal to 2 + the spell’s level 

Good low-level cleric spells are the ‘Spare the Dying’ cantrip, plus ‘Cure Wounds’ and ‘Healing Word’. Note that, as a first level cleric, you’ll only have two spell slots, so be careful and try not to use them unless they’re really needed.

If, like me, you were a little confused as to why clerics have two different first level healing spells, the distinction is:

Cure Wounds: Takes a full action and requires touch. Heals 1d8+spellcasting mod+3 (with ‘Life’ domain)

Healing Word: Takes a bonus action and can be used on anyone within 60 ft. Heals 1d4+spellcasting mod+3 (with ‘Life’ domain)

In combat, a rogue healer will often use their action to attack an enemy (hopefully doing some sneak attack damage), then their bonus action to heal an ally – so Healing Word really shines there, despite the relatively low number of hit points it heals.

Going forward, most of your levels will be in rogue (or else this would be a ‘stabby cleric’ build instead of a ‘rogue healer’ build). None of the roguish archetypes have any particular relevance to healing, so just pick whichever you think is interesting and will work for your character.

Equipment

Healing potions are the obvious choice here, but they are expensive and single use, and, depending on the campaign, may be in limited supply. Here’s a couple of more mundane items to look at:

Healer’s Kit (5 gp): “This kit is a leather pouch containing bandages, salves, and splints. The kit has ten uses.” Normally, this just lets you stabilize an unconscious creature, but healer’s kits become much more powerful if you have the ‘Healer’ feat – see below for details. With that feat, ten uses for five gp means a tasty healing action for only five silver. Strongly recommended!

Antitoxin (50 gp): “A creature that drinks this vial of liquid gains advantage on saving throws against poison for 1 hour. It confers no benefit to undead or constructs.” In practice, I have not found this particularly useful, particularly given the price, but maybe your experience will be different – or maybe you just want to have some on hand, just in case.

Feats

When leveling up allows you to increase an ability score, your game master may allow you to take one of the following feats instead:

Healer You are an able physician, allowing you to mend wounds quickly and get your allies back in the fight. You gain the following benefits:

When you use a healer’s kit to stabilize a dying creature, that creature also regains 1 hit point.

As an action, you can spend one use of a healer’s kit to tend to a creature and restore 1d6 + 4 hit points to it, plus additional hit points equal to the creature’s maximum number of Hit Dice. The creature can’t regain hit points from this feat again until it finishes a short or long rest.

If you decided against multiclassing, then there’s another feat that can give you ‘Spare the Dying’:

Magic Initiate Choose a class: bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard. You learn two cantrips of your choice from that class’s spell list. In addition, choose one 1st-level spell to learn from that same list. Using this feat, you can cast the spell once at its lowest level, and you must finish a long rest before you can cast it in this way again. Your spellcasting ability for these spells depends on the class you chose: Charisma for bard, sorcerer, or warlock; Wisdom for cleric or druid; or Intelligence for wizard.

Finally, there’s a feat that could potentially allow you to cast ‘Cure Wounds’ as a ritual (allowing you to avoid using up a spell slot by instead casting the spell as a ten-minute ritual). See the Player’s Handbook for details, but the important bit here is:

Ritual Caster [...] You have learned a number of spells that you can cast as rituals. These spells are written in a ritual book, which you must have in hand while casting one of them.

I would pick Cure Wounds rather than Healing Word for this, as the latter’s main advantage is that it’s quick and doesn’t require physical contact – I don’t see it as being a good candidate for ritual casting.

Characterization

I’m not sure how accurate this is, but I have this idea that there’s a trope in Westerns where there’s a gang of cowboys and/or outlaws which has attached itself to a doctor. He’s come west because of some disgrace or other, and he doesn’t approve of the violence, but is able to remove bullets, sew up wounds, and otherwise patch up anyone who needs it. Maybe he works with the gang because, although he deplores the violence, he sees its necessity in the violent world he lives in; maybe he does it because he has some personal connection to the gang’s leader; maybe it’s because they give him the respect that others don’t; or maybe he does it for the money. Probably, on some level, it’s a mixture of the four. He doesn’t think of himself as a fighter, but, if there’s no other choice, he can give almost as good as he gets. The members of the gang all call him ‘Doc’, or some similar nickname, though he probably doesn’t have much actual formal medical training. Most of the characters in Westerns know they are in Westerns and love it, but this character knows it and kind of hates it, most of the time.

So, let’s transfer that idea to a fantasy RPG, while minimizing the elements that make the character less than useful in a standard campaign, and/or difficult for other players to work with. That was the idea.

All that aside, when you’re putting together your rogue healer, here are a couple of questions to think about, when putting together your character’s backstory and traits.

Why isn’t this character just a cleric? Maybe they were originally, but they were expelled due to some scandal. Or they were originally, but became disenchanted with their church. Or they never formally studied to be a cleric because they were rejected by the local temple due to bad reputation / lack of money / lack of family connections / insert other reason here. 

Why isn’t this character just a rogue? Maybe roguish skills were the best way to keep alive when they were young, but they always hated seeing people and animals in pain, and when the opportunity to learn to heal people arose they jumped at it. Maybe they were in a party that lacked a healer, and started picking up some healing skills just to keep everyone on their feet, and found it rewarding. Maybe they’ve always loved animals, and have acted as an amateur veterinarian from a young age, only to find that those same skills could be useful as a party member, too. Maybe they originally planned to be something else, but life happened: training with a doctor was interrupted when the doctor was killed by bandits, etc.

The fourth page of my sample character sheet mostly comes from my attempts to think about all of this.

[ae-neon]

Hello! Feel free to not reply to this ask because I feel like you’re getting a lot 😭 I’ve been seeing your posts and I apologize if this is gonna make me sound like a hater to you but I’m really not. (Apologies too because English is not my first language) I’m just curious. Do you think ~maybe~ part of why you’re frustrated with the character routes is because you have certain expectations of their archetypes. For example, Feyre was branded by some as the athletic one because she’s the one that hunted and seemed the most physically capable. So based on her archetype, she should be the valkyrie.

Maybe this is on me but I feel like she’s still a fitting high lady. I think Nesta and other characters pointed out that Feyre has an interest in politics and trade ever since she was a kid and acofas also showed how she’s passionate in doing hands-on work and given the build-up of her character, for me it makes sense for her to be involved. Her skills, that she only honed as a survival skill so it was not something she was technically passionate about, are a bonus but is still an asset especially when high lords are expected to be also equipped in combat. She also gained a strategic mind from all that planning and a good mental fortitude.

Anyway, that’s on me. (I can’t fully translate everything because my English is limited). I think when we branched out from these archetypes, there are multiple scenes that contextualizes why this is character a’s route. So that’s on me. Then again, we all have different interpretations on what we read. Thank you. Also, I hope you’re okay after being bombarded with a lot of asks. It’s actually Feysand month and Feyre week so it’s a bit too delicate rn but yeah people need to chill sometimes💜

Hi anon. Your English is perfect!

You know, I think I am biased towards my own expectations. But I think that's normal? And I don't think I've ever claimed to be this super smart neutral person, you know? Like I'm just a fan blog.

I like this part of Nesta so I wanna see more of it. I like this part of Feyre so I wanna see more of it. I don't like this part of the story so I complain about it.

I think that's also why I get confused about why people don't just ignore me if they disagree? These are just my personal thoughts and they really have no impact on anything.

You're so nice, hope you have a great day or night, it's night for me.